Hairdressing and cosmetic comb and hairdressing and cosmetic method

ABSTRACT

Provided are a hairdressing and cosmetic comb which catches a lot of hair in the gaps of the comb teeth in single combing, does not need blocking or shifting of the comb from one hand to another, allows hair to be aligned straight easily, allows a practitioner to image a finished state of the whole head without hurting fingers of the practitioner, ensures an efficient hairdressing and cosmetic work of cutting or dyeing, and is manufactured at low cost, and a hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb. A hairdressing and cosmetic comb  1  includes a support  2,  and a plurality of comb teeth  3  provided in a row on one side of the support  2  substantially in parallel. The comb teeth  3  are elastically bent and deformed according to the form of a head  5  when the comb teeth  3  are pressed toward the head  5  on which the comb teeth abut via a contact portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hairdressing and cosmetic comb usedmainly for cutting or dyeing hair, and hair-dressing and cosmeticmethod.

2. Description of the Related Art

When a practitioner, such as a beautician or a barber, cuts hair,conventionally, the practitioner first combs hair using a comb(hereinafter called “combing”). Then, after performing combing severaltimes, the practitioner cuts hair with scissors. When dyeing hair,likewise, hair is dyed after performing combing several times.

For this reason, combs are demanded of the strengths large enough toendure the resistance at the time of combing hair, and proper shapes andweights easy for practitioners to handle. General combs have aplate-like shape as shown in FIG. 12, and have a support 32 with anapproximately rectangular shape in a front view, comb teeth 33 formed onone side thereof, and a handle 34 provided continual from the support32. Those combs are often made of synthetic resins, such as celluloid.

However, since the comb teeth of such a conventional comb are short andhard, the comb which abuts on a curved head shape comes in contact withthe head in the form of a flat plate. Therefore, not all the comb teethcan contact the head at once. In addition, since the comb teeth areshort, the quantity of hair which can be caught in the gaps of the combteeth in single combing is restricted. For this reason, in a work ofcutting or dyeing hair of the whole head, a practitioner needs to putthe comb against the head many times and comb the hair repeatedly.

In general, when a beautician cuts long hair, he/she parts the hair of ahead into a required number of parts, and arranges hair part by part tomake it easier to cut the hair before cutting (hereinafter called“blocking”). Then, the beautician performs combing several times withthe comb held in one hand, and holds hair, caught by the comb teeth,between fingers of the other hand. Next, the beautician holds the combwith the other hand, and cuts the hair with scissors. This work requiresthat the beautician shifts the comb from one hand to another a number oftimes during cutting. In cutting the whole head hair of a child, forexample, even a skilled beautician needs to shift the comb from one handto another 30 to 40 times.

When a practitioner cuts hair held with fingers just along the fingers,the cut lines may not be aligned in a straight line so that someadjustment should be done further. At this time, the practitioner mayhurt his/her own fingers with scissors. In addition, since there is asmall amount of hair which is cut in single cutting, a practitioner whois not familiar with the work has to take a check time many times duringcutting to compare the finished image of the whole head with the currentcut state in progress.

In view of those points, in performing a cutting or dyeing work using acomb, a practitioner who is not a skilled one cannot perform efficientlythe work.

As a solution to such a problem, a cutting comb has been proposed in,for example, Patent Document 1. The comb includes a parent comb and achild comb, so that hair combed with the parent comb is held by the combteeth of the child comb to ensure shaping to the cutting expectedposition, allowing the hair to be cut with scissors as it is withoutchanging fingers to hold the hair.

CITATION LIST Patent Document

-   Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10-28613

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

However, the structure of the cutting comb requires the process ofproducing the parent comb and the child comb separately and then fittingthem together, thus raising a problem of increasing the manufacturingcost.

The area of the portion where the comb teeth of the cutting comb areprovided is as small as the conventional one. Therefore, the amount ofhair which can be caught in single combing is still small, raising aproblem that it is not possible to efficiently perform a work of cuttingor dyeing a large amount of hair of the whole head.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a hairdressingand cosmetic comb which catches a lot of hair in the gaps of the combteeth in single combing, does not need blocking or shifting of the combfrom one hand to another, allows hair to be aligned straight easily,allows a practitioner to image a finished state of the whole headwithout hurting fingers of the practitioner with scissors, ensures anefficient hairdressing and cosmetic work of cutting or dyeing, and ismanufactured at low cost, and a hairdressing and cosmetic method usingthe comb.

Means for Solving the Problems

To achieve the object, a hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to theinvention and a hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb areconfigured as follows.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided ahairdressing and cosmetic comb, including a support; a plurality of combteeth provided on one side of the support in a row substantially inparallel, the comb teeth each having lengths of 7.0 to 23.0 cm from abase to a tip and each being elastically bent and deformed to have adeformation of 1.0 cm or greater and 6.0 cm or less in a thicknessdirection of the comb teeth according to a form of a head when the combteeth are pressed toward the head on which the comb teeth abut via acontact portion.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to the first aspect of the invention, the combteeth may have widths of 1.0 to 12.0 mm in a side-by-side layoutdirection of the comb teeth, and thicknesses of 1.0 to 5.0 mm.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to the first or second aspect of the invention,a sectional shape of each of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layoutdirection of the comb teeth may be a rectangle defined by W>H where W mmis the width in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth andH mm is the thickness of the comb teeth. Therefore, the long sides ofthe rectangles of the comb teeth in cross section abut on the head.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to any one of the first to third aspects of theinvention, the widths of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layoutdirection thereof may be constant at an intermediate portion from thebase of each comb tooth to the tip thereof.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of theinvention, the lengths of the plurality of comb teeth from the bases tothe tips may be set in such a way that the length of the comb toothprovided at a center portion of the support is longest, and the lengthsof the other comb teeth become shorter toward rightward and leftward endportions of the support from the center portion. Accordingly, the combteeth provided in the center portion of the support deform more than theother comb teeth. Relatively speaking, the comb teeth which are providedapart from the center portion of the support deform less than the combteeth which are provided in the center portion of the support.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of theinvention, an interval of the comb teeth may be less than 0 to 3.0 mm.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of theinvention, the comb teeth may be made of a synthetic resin, and may havethe widths of about 6.0 mm in the side-by-side layout direction thereof,and the thicknesses of about 4.0 mm, and an interval of the comb teethmay be about 1.0 mm.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of theinvention, at least one contact surface at which the adjoining combteeth contact each other may be formed in the interval between the combteeth and between the base and the tip of each comb tooth.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to any one of the first to eighth aspects of theinvention, the comb teeth may be bent in the thickness direction of thecomb teeth.

A hairdressing and cosmetic method according to a tenth aspect of theinvention includes abutting the comb teeth of the hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to any one of the first to ninth aspects of theinvention on a head; sliding the hairdressing and cosmetic comb whilepressing a contact portion toward the head to put through hair of thehead between the comb teeth to elastically deform the comb teethaccording to a form of the head, thereby combing the hair forhair-dressing and cosmetic work.

Effect of the Invention

According to the invention, hair can be caught in the gaps betweenalmost all comb teeth, including the comb teeth provided at end portionsof the support as well as the comb teeth provided in the center portionof the support.

According to the invention, a practitioner can shorten the time of ahairdressing and cosmetic work.

According to the invention, a practitioner need not apply large force toslide the comb. In addition, the comb can be designed in aneasy-to-handle shape.

According to the invention, since the comb teeth stably receive stresswhile being pressed to slide toward the head, a practitioner can slidethe hairdressing and cosmetic comb smoothly. When hair is put betweenthe comb teeth, the area of the opposing sides of the adjoining combteeth where the comb teeth contact the hair can be enlarged. This canallow hair to be firmly caught between the comb teeth.

According to the invention, it is possible to improve the fatiguedurability of the comb teeth which are repeatedly elastically deformed,and easily manufacture comb teeth.

According to the invention, it is easy to greatly bend the comb teethprovided in the center section of the support. Accordingly, the combteeth can be easily pressed against the curved shape of a head.

According to the invention, a practitioner can easily place the combteeth of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb against the curved shape ofa head and easily slide the comb teeth.

Because of the foregoing structure of the hairdressing and cosmetic comband the process of the hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb,a practitioner can catch more hair with the comb teeth than can be doneconventionally. In addition, hair can be firmly caught as well as can becombed with the comb teeth. Accordingly, since a practitioner canperform a hairdressing and cosmetic work with a lot of hair caught withthe comb teeth, he/she need not perform blocking or shift the comb fromone hand to another. In cutting hair, a practitioner does not easilydamage his/her own fingers with scissors, and can easily cut hairstraight. Further, it is easy to compare the finished image of the wholehead with the current state of the work in progress.

Therefore, the practitioner can improve the efficiency of the wholehairdressing and cosmetic work by using the hairdressing and cosmeticcomb and the hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb to whichthe invention is applied. Since the operation of the comb teeth issimple, the practitioner can handle the comb easily, so that even anon-expert practitioner can use this hairdressing and cosmetic comb.Further, because of its comparatively simple structure, the hairdressingand cosmetic comb can be mass-produced at a low cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1( a) to 1(d) are structural diagrams of a hairdressing andcosmetic comb to which the invention is applied;

FIGS. 2( a) to 2(f) are diagrams showing other forms of the support ofthe hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied;

FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b) are diagrams showing a tip portion which includes anarrow portion and tip of a comb tooth of the hairdressing and cosmeticcomb to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hairdressing and cosmetic comb accordingto another embodiment to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a hairdressing and cosmetic comb accordingto another embodiment to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 6( a) is a partly cross-sectional view of the hairdressing andcosmetic comb to which the invention is applied along line A-A in FIG.1( a), and FIG. 6( b) is a partly cross-sectional view of thehairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied alongline B-B in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7( a) is a diagram showing the state where the comb teeth of thehairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied aredeformed in the thickness direction, and FIG. 7( b) is a diagram showingthe state where the comb teeth of a hairdressing and cosmetic combaccording to another embodiment to which the invention is applied aredeformed in the thickness direction;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the hairdressing and cosmetic comb in use towhich the invention is applied;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the hairdressing and cosmetic comb in use towhich the invention is applied;

FIG. 10( a) is a diagram showing the state of usage of the hairdressingand cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied where the tipportions of the comb teeth are contact portions, and FIG. 10( b) is adiagram showing the state of usage of the hairdressing and cosmetic combto which the invention is applied where the intermediate portions of thecomb teeth are contact portions;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the state of usage of the hairdressing andcosmetic comb to which the invention is applied; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the form of the conventional hairdressingand cosmetic comb.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1( a) is a front view of a hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1according to the invention, FIG. 1( b) is a plan view of thehairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention, FIG. 1( c)is a bottom view of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 according tothe invention, and FIG. 1( d) is a right side view of the hairdressingand cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1( a), the hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 accordingto the invention includes a support 2 and a plurality of comb teeth 3.

The support 2 has a support surface 2 a on the front side of the sheetin FIG. 1( a), and a support surface 2 b on the rear side of the sheetin FIG. 1( a) and facing the support surface 2 a. As shown in FIG. 1(d), the support 2 has a right side portion 2 d. The support 2 also has aleft side portion 2 e facing the right side portion 2 d. As shown inFIG. 1( c), the support 2 has a bottom surface portion 2 c, the combteeth 3 are provided on that side which faces the bottom surface portion2 c, and the support 2 is continual to bases 3 a of the comb teeth 3.

As shown in FIG. 2( a), the support 2 may have a form such that theright and left side portions 2 d, 2 e extend over in the side-by-sidelayout direction of the comb teeth 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 2( b),projecting end portions 2 f may be formed by reducing the diameter ofthe support 2 once and then enlarging it toward the bottom surfaceportion 2 c.

The thickness of the support 2 is substantially the same thickness H ofthe comb teeth 3 in FIG. 1, but should not necessarily be substantiallythe same thickness. The thickness of the support 2 may be thicker orthinner than the thickness H of the comb teeth 3, and may be partlythicker or thinner than the thickness H of the comb teeth 3. As shown inFIG. 2( c), a hand-holding portion 2 g protruded or recessed on thesupport surface 2 a or 2 b may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 2( d), a thin teeth portion 2 h may be provided at oneor both of the right and left side portions 2 d and 2 e. The thin teethof the thin teeth portion 2 h are short and hard, and are not thereforeelastically deformed like the comb teeth 3. A practitioner can perform ahairdressing and cosmetic work on the whole head 5 using the comb teeth3, and perform a hairdressing and cosmetic work on a detailed portionusing the thin teeth portion 2 h.

As shown in FIG. 2( e), a handle 2 i may be provided at one of the rightand left side portions 2 d, 2 e. Holding the handle 2 i makes it easierfor the practitioner to press the hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1.

As shown in FIG. 2( f), comb teeth 3 which are different from the combteeth 3 which catch hair 6 may be provided on the bottom surface portion2 c side. As shown in FIG. 2( f), a length s of the comb teeth 3 on thebottom surface portion 2 c side is comparatively short, and an intervalL of the comb teeth 3 is comparatively long. The width, W, andthickness, H, of the comb teeth 3 on the bottom surface portion 2 c sidemay be set adequately. When the target hair 6 is disheveled, thepractitioner can perform combing generally with these comb teeth 3 onthe bottom surface portion 2 c side before cutting or dyeing the hair 6to arrange the flow of the hair 6.

The support 2 can be molded of a synthetic resin, such as polypropyleneor epoxy resin, integrally with the comb teeth 3 to be described later.However, the raw material of the support 2 is not limited to a syntheticresin, and other materials, such as wood and metal, may be used as well.

The comb teeth 3 are provided in a row substantially in parallel to oneanother with gaps 4 therebetween, as shown in FIG. 1( a). Although thenumber of the comb teeth 3 is 15 in FIG. 1( a), which is not necessarilyrestrictive and may be set to any adequate number.

FIG. 3( a) is a diagram showing one form of the tip side of the combtooth 3. FIG. 3( b) is a diagram showing another form of the tip side ofthe comb tooth 3. In each diagram, the left-hand side shows a frontview, and the right-hand side shows a right side view.

The comb tooth 3 has, between a base 3 a and a tip 3 d, an intermediateportion 3 b and a narrow portion 3 c whose diameter gradually decreasesfrom the intermediate portion 3 b, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3( a).

Note that the base 3 a is the boundary portion between the support 2 andthe comb teeth 3 hereinafter. Unless specifically defined, the length sof the comb teeth indicates the length from the base 3 a to the tip 3 dhereinafter. Unless specifically defined, the tip portion 3 x is theportion which includes the narrow portion 3 c and the tip 3 dhereinafter.

Although the intermediate portion 3 b is formed linearly in theside-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 in FIG. 1( a), it isnot necessarily limited to the linear shape. A part of the intermediateportion 3 b may be curved in the side-by-side layout direction so thatan interval L of the gap 4 on the base 3 a side is different from aninterval L of the gap 4 on the tip portion 3 x side, as shown in FIG. 5.Accordingly, when the hair 6 is put through the gaps 4 which have therelatively shorter interval L, the presence of the gaps 4 which has therelatively longer interval L on the base 3 a side makes it easier tofeed the hair 6 toward the base 3 a from the tip portion 3 x side of thecomb teeth 3. When the adjacent comb teeth 3 which form the gap 4 havingthe relatively shorter interval L are elastically deformed in theside-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 by catching much hair6, the elastic force urges those comb teeth 3 in the direction ofholding the hair 6. Accordingly, the comb teeth 3 can catch the hair 6firmly.

As shown in FIG. 7( b), the intermediate portion 3 b may be curved inthe thickness direction of the comb teeth 3, or may be bent at a properlocation in addition. The curved shapes of a plurality of comb teethprovided on one comb may match with, or may differ from, one another.The curved shape of the intermediate portion 3 b may be an arc, anelliptic arc, or a hyperbola. In case of the arcuate shape, it isdesirable that the radius of curvature is in the range of 5.0 to 10.0cm. Within the range, the comb can be compatible with the radiuses ofcurvature of general human heads covering from children to adults, andare suitable as a hair-dressing and cosmetic comb.

As shown in FIG. 12, the lateral cross sectional shape of theintermediate portion 3 b is approximately rectangular. However, thesectional shape of the intermediate portion 3 b may not be limited tothe approximately rectangular shape, and may take another shape, such asapproximately circular shape, approximately elliptical shape, orpolygonal shape. In FIG. 1, the width W and thickness H of theintermediate portion 3 b is constant from the base 3 a to the narrowportion 3 c. However, a portion with a partly larger width W or aportion with a partly narrower width W may be provided, and a portionwith a partly larger thickness H or a portion with a partly smallerthickness H may be provided. Further, the comb teeth 3 may be shaped tobe provided with no intermediate portion 3 b by immediately reducingfrom the base 3 a toward the tip 3 d the diameter of the comb teeth 3.

The narrow portion 3 c reduces its diameter continuously from theintermediate portion 3 b in the form of a quadrangular pyramid with thetip 3 d as the vertex in FIG. 3( a). Although the lateral crosssectional shape of the narrow portion 3 c is rectangular, it reduces thediameter so as to come closer to a right circle toward the tip 3 d.However, the lateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3 c isnot necessarily limited to a right circle. It may take a rectangularshape as in the case of FIG. 3( b), or may take other shapes, such as asquare, ellipses, and polygon.

The tip 3 d is rounded off while being continual from the narrow portion3 c and has a predetermined radius of curvature. Although the tip 3 d islocated on the central axis in the side-by-side layout direction of thecomb teeth 3 in FIG. 1, it is not necessarily limited to the centralaxis, and may be located at an eccentric position.

As shown in the right-hand side view of FIG. 3( b), the tip 3 d may havea thick portion between the tip 3 d on the front side of the sheet inthe front view of FIG. 3( b), and the tip 3 d on the back side of thesheet therein.

The radius of curvature of the tip 3 d is preferably in a range of 0.25to 1.50 mm. When the radius of curvature of the tip 3 d is less than0.25 mm, the tip 3 d is too sharp, so that when the tip 3 d contact thehead of a subject person, the subject person feels discomfort. When theradius of curvature of the tip 3 d exceeds 1.50 mm, it is difficult topart the hair 6 efficiently.

It is desirable that a length k of the tip portion 3 x is at least about4.0 mm or greater. With the length k being less than 4.0 mm, the ratioof the length k of the narrow portion 3 c to the length s of the combtooth 3 becomes smaller relatively, making it difficult to part the hair6.

The lengths s of the comb teeth 3 can be set up individually. As shownin FIG. 1( a), the lengths s of the comb teeth 3 may be set so that thelength s of the comb tooth 3_1 provided in the center portion of thesupport 2 becomes the longest. As shown in FIG. 1( a), the lengths s ofthe other comb teeth 3 may be set to become shorter from the centerportion of the support 2 toward the right and left ends thereof. Then,the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 provided at the right and left endsof the support 2 may be set to become the shortest as shown in FIG. 1(a).

When the comb teeth 3 with different lengths s are provided on thesupport 2 to have the respective tips 3 d aligned approximatelyhorizontally straight, the positions of the bases 3 a are set to draw agentle arc as a whole, as shown in FIG. 1( a). The tip 3 d of the combtooth 3_2 is located slightly lower than the height at which the tips 3d of the other comb teeth 3 are aligned in FIG. 1( a). Accordingly, whenthe hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 contacts the head 5 of the subjectperson, the tip 3 d of the comb tooth 3_2 can be prevented from damagingthe head 5 and the cervical part of the subject person.

It is preferable that the comb teeth 3 that the length s of the combtooth 3_1 ranges from 6.0 cm to 23.0 cm. It is also preferable that thelength s of the comb tooth 3_1 ranges from 10.0 cm to 20.0 cm.Especially the most preferred range of the length s of the comb tooth3_1 is between 12.0 cm and 17.0 cm. When the length s of the comb tooth3_1 is less than 6.0 cm, the comb teeth 3 cannot be elastically deformedsufficiently, and when the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 exceeds 23.0cm, there may be a case where the comb teeth 3 are caused to contact thehead 5 of the subject person unnecessarily.

When the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 is set to 6.0 to 23.0 cm, it ispreferable that the widths W of the comb teeth 3 are in a range of 1.0to 12.0 mm. When the widths W of the comb teeth 3 are less than 1.0 mm,the comb teeth 3 become too thin to have a sufficient strength as combteeth and are difficult to manufacture. When the widths W of the combteeth 3 exceed 12.0 mm, the lengths to the upper parts of the comb teeth3 through the gaps 4 of the comb teeth 3 become long, making itdifficult to adequately part the hair 6.

When the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 is set to 6.0 to 23.0 cm, it ispreferable that the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 are in a range of1.0 to 5.0 mm. When the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 are less than1.0 mm, the comb teeth 3 becomes too thin to have a sufficient strengthas comb teeth. When the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 exceed 5.0 mm,the comb teeth 3 become too thick, which may result in a case wherelarge force is needed to deform the comb teeth 3.

Although the interval L can be set adequately, the range of 0 to 3.0 mmis desirable. When the interval L is 0, adjacent comb teeth 3 are incontact with each other by a point or a line. The comb teeth 3 can beelastically deformed not only in the thickness direction of the combteeth 3 but also in the side-by-side layout direction. Therefore, theportion where the interval L is 0 is widened from the tip sides of thecomb teeth 3 by the hair 6 when the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 isslid. When the interval L exceeds 3.0 mm, the gap 4 between the adjacentcomb teeth 3 becomes wider, making it difficult for the comb teeth 3 tocatch the hair 6.

The contact surface M of adjacent comb teeth 3 may be formed bycontinuously providing the portion where the interval L is 0 by a fixedlength as shown in FIG. 4. When the hair 6 is put in the contact surfaceM, the comb teeth 3 are urged in the direction of holding the hair 6 inthe contact surface M due to the elastic force. Accordingly, the hair 6can be caught firmly.

When the comb teeth 3 are deformed as shown in FIG. 12, the comb teeth 3have a maximum vertical height h from the horizontal plane P at the tip3 d. The maximum vertical height h is set to be the amount ofdisplacement of the tips 3 d from the horizontal plane P when the tips 3d of the comb teeth 3 are deformed maximum upward or downward within theelastically deformable range of the comb teeth 3 with the hair-dressingand cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention set in the horizontalstate.

It is preferable that the maximum vertical height h is in a range of 0.5cm to 6.0 cm. It is more preferable that the maximum vertical height his in a range of 1.0 cm to 4.0 cm. When the maximum vertical height h isless than 0.5 cm, sufficient deformation cannot be obtained, disablingan efficient hairdressing and cosmetic work. When the maximum verticalheight h exceeds 6.0 cm, there may be a case where the time for the combteeth 3 to be restored by elastic deformation becomes long, making theworking hours longer.

It is preferable that the bending modulus of the comb-tooth member is ina range of 1.5 to 15.0 GPa. When the bending modulus is less than 1.5GPa, the comb teeth 3 becomes too soft, so that after the deformation,the time to be restored becomes longer. When the bending modulus exceeds15.0 GPa, it is necessary to change the shape of the comb, such asmaking the length s of the comb teeth 3 longer to deform the comb teeth3, so that the comb is difficult to handle.

The raw material of the comb teeth 3 can be molded of synthetic resinintegrally with the support 2. Of synthetic resins, polypropylene is aninexpensive raw material and generally, the bending modulus is set toabout 1.5 GPa. Therefore, the material is suitable when industriallymass-producing the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to theinvention.

The comb teeth 3 is not limited to a synthetic resin, and may bemanufactured from wood, such as pine or Japan cedar, or other materials.Generally, the bending modulus of wood is set to about 5.0 to 16.0 GPa.When the comb-tooth material is wood, the massage effect brought abouton the head 5 of the subject person, and the flexibility of wood canmake the subject person relax more.

Next, how to use the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 to which theinvention is applied will be described.

First, a practitioner holds the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 withall the comb teeth 3 aligned on the substantially the same plane in onehand, and puts the tips 3 d of the comb teeth 3 against the head 5 ofthe subject person before the position of the hair 6 to be cut or dyed.Then, the practitioner presses the comb teeth 3 toward the head 5simultaneously to elastically deform almost all the comb teeth 3. Thisoperation causes the tip portions 3 x of almost all the comb teeth 3 toabut along the curved surface of the head 5 facing the comb teeth 3 asshown in FIG. 8.

Next, the practitioner slides the whole hair-dressing and cosmetic comb1 in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 whilepressing the comb teeth 3 toward the head 5, placing the hair 6 in thegaps 4 of the comb teeth 3, as shown in FIG. 9. According to thisoperation, the comb teeth 3 receives stress from the head 5, and theindividual comb teeth 3 are elastically deformed successively.

Here, an operation to slide the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 alongthe curved shape of the head 5 may be carried out while placing the tipportions 3 x against the head 5, as shown in FIG. 10( a). Accordingly,the comb teeth 3 can be made to certainly contact with the base of thehair 6 to catch a lot of hair 6.

As shown in FIG. 10( b), an operation to slide the hair-dressing andcosmetic comb 1 linearly with the intermediate portion 3 b abutting onthe head 5 as a contact portion. That is, the position at which the combteeth 3 receive stress moves to the intermediate portion 3 b from thetip portion 3 x, and further moves to the base 3 a in the intermediateportion 3 b. Accordingly, compared with the case of FIG. 10( a), thetime needed for single combing can be shortened.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 11, the practitioner parts the hair-dressingand cosmetic comb 1 from the head 5, and lifts it up. This operationrestores the comb teeth 3 to the state where all the comb teeth 3 arealigned on substantially the same plane by elastic deformation with thehair 6 still caught in the gaps 4. Then, the practitioner canefficiently perform the hairdressing and cosmetic work by cutting ordyeing the hair 6 caught in the comb teeth 3 with the scissors anddyeing instrument held in the other hand of the practitioner.

EXAMPLE 1

When the radius of curvature of the tip 3 d becomes smaller with thewidths W and lengths k of the comb teeth 3 being fixed, the angle of thenarrow portion 3 c to the central axis in the side-by-side layoutdirection of the comb teeth 3 becomes larger. Therefore, the distancebetween the tips 3 d of the adjacent comb teeth 3 becomes largercompared with the interval L of the comb teeth 3. Therefore, thepractitioner can part a lot of hair 6. However, since there is a smallcontact surface between the tip 3 d and the head 5, the subject personmay feel discomfort when the tip 3 d abuts on the head 5. On thecontrary, when the radius of curvature of the tip 3 d becomes larger,the angle of the narrow portion 3 c to the central axis in theside-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 becomes smaller.Therefore, the distance between the tips 3 d of the adjacent comb teeth3 approaches the interval L of the comb teeth 3. Therefore, thepractitioner cannot part a lot of hair 6 relatively. However, sincethere is a large contact surface between the tip 3 d and the head 5, thesubject person is unlikely to feel discomfort when the tip 3 d abuts onthe subject person.

Accordingly, the inventor conducted the following experiment 1 in orderto clarify the optimal range of the radius of curvature of the tip 3 d.

In the experiment 1, ten kinds of comb teeth 3 which have the tips 3 dwith different radiuses of curvature of 0.05 to 2.00 mm weremanufactured, and the hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 provided withthose comb teeth 3 were prepared. When cutting was performed using thishair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1, the practitioner who did cutting andthe subject person who had hair cut were interviewed to acquireevaluations on the workability of the practitioner and evaluations fromthe subject person.

Here, evaluations on the practitioner's workability were the degree ofstress the practitioner felt in the work of parting the hair 6 whencombing was performed with this hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1.Specifically, the degree of stress was expressed in three levels, mark Xwhen stress was felt even once, mark Δ when stress was not felt, andmark ◯ when it felt comfortable. The evaluations from a subject personwere the degree of discomfort the subject person felt when combed.Specifically, the degree of discomfort was expressed in three levels,mark X when discomfort was felt even once, mark Δ when discomfort wasnot felt, and mark ◯ when it was comfortable. The practitioner was abeautician having 30 years of experience, and the subject person was awoman of an age of twenties.

The hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 used in the experiment wereconstituted as follows.

The support 2 and the comb teeth 3 are integrally molded ofpolypropylene. The lateral cross sectional shape of the intermediateportion 3 b of the comb tooth 3 was approximately rectangular, with thewidth W and thickness H fixed. The narrow portion 3 c reduces itsdiameter in the form of a quadrangular pyramid with the tip 3 d as thevertex, and the lateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3 cis rectangular, and reduces the diameter so as to come closer to a rightcircle toward the tip 3 d. The tip 3 d is rounded off. The lengths s ofthe comb teeth 3_1 are set the longest to be about 15.0 cm. The lengthss of the other comb teeth 3 are set shorter horizontally symmetricallytoward the right and left ends from the central portion of the support2, and the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 on both the right and leftsides are set to the same length of about 14.0 cm. The lengths s of theother comb teeth 3 are adjusted so that the tips 3 d of a plurality ofcomb teeth 3 are aligned approximately straight, as shown in FIG. 1( a).The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 are also adjusted so that their tips3 d are set slightly lower than the positions of the tips of the othercomb teeth 3. The length k of the tip portion 3 x is about 1.8 cm. Thewidths W of the comb teeth 3 are about 6.0 mm, and the thicknesses H ofthe comb teeth 3 are about 4.0 mm. The intervals L of the comb teeth 3are about 1.0 mm.

Table 1 shows the results obtained from the experiment 1.

TABLE 1 Curvature radius of tip (mm) 0.05 0.15 0.25 0.35 0.50 1.00 1.501.65 1.75 2.00 Evaluation on x x Δ ∘ ∘ ∘ Δ x x x workability (in 3levels) Evaluation x x Δ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ from subject (in 3 levels)

It can be confirmed from Table 1 that when the radius of curvature ofthe tip 3 d is in a range of 0.25 to 1.50 mm, the evaluations on thepractitioner's workability are Δ and ◯. When the radius of curvature ofthe tip 3 d is 0.25 mm or higher, it can be confirmed that theevaluations from the subject person are Δ and ◯.

It is understood from the above that under the conditions of thisexperiment, the preferable range of the radius of curvature of the tip 3d is 0.25 to 1.50 mm.

EXAMPLE 2

When it is necessary to acquire a predetermined maximum vertical heighth, given that the conditions other than the lengths s of the comb teeth3 are fixed, the longer the lengths s of the comb teeth 3, the greaterthe comb teeth 3 are deformed by the practitioner with lighter force. Ifthe lengths s of the comb teeth 3 are too long, the comb teeth 3 may becaused to unnecessarily contact the head 5 of the subject person.

Accordingly, the inventor conducted the following experiments 2 in orderto clarify the preferable range of the lengths s of the comb teeth 3.

In the experiment 2, twenty kinds of hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1with different lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 ranging from 5.0 to 24.0cm were prepared. Then, the load (g.w.) required to obtain the maximumvertical height h=1.5 (cm) was measured, and evaluations were made onthe workability of the practitioner who performed cutting when thecutting work was performed using this hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1.

The experiment of measuring the load was conducted as follows. First,the surface of a sphere with the radius of curvature of 9 cm wasregarded as the head of a general adult, and the model of the spheresurface was created with a 2-cm-thick Japan cedar board, and was placedon a measuring instrument. The sphere model was graduated vertically.Then, the comb teeth 3_1 were abutted on the top of the sphere modelwhile the prepared comb was set in the horizontal state. Then, all ofthe tip portions 3 x of fifteen comb teeth were pushed verticallydownward to abut on the sphere surface, and the load was applied untilthe positions of the right and left comb teeth 3_2 came 1.5 cm below thecomb teeth 3_1.

Here, evaluations on the practitioner's workability were the degree ofstress the practitioner felt in handling the comb while performing thecutting work with this hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1. With regard tohandling the comb, the easiness of applying the load when thepractitioner applied pressure, whether unnecessary contact with a cutwick was made, whether handling the comb was felt heavy, etc. werecomprehensively judged to make evaluations. Specifically, the degree ofstress was expressed in four levels, mark X when stress was felt evenonce, mark Δ when stress was not felt, mark ◯ when it felt comfortable,and mark ⊚ when it felt very comfortable. The practitioner was abeautician having 30 years of experience, and the cut wick used was acut wick for lesson manufactured by Fontaine (FC108N).

The hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 used in the experiment wereconstituted as follows.

The support 2 and the comb teeth 3 are integrally molded ofpolypropylene. The lateral cross sectional shape of the intermediateportion 3 b of the comb tooth 3 was approximately rectangular, with thewidth W and thickness H fixed. The narrow portion 3 c reduces itsdiameter in the form of a quadrangular pyramid with the tip 3 d as thevertex, and the lateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3 cis rectangular, and reduces the diameter so as to come closer to a rightcircle toward the tip 3 d. The tip 3 d is rounded off to have a radiusof curvature of about 0.90 mm. The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 areset the longest. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are set shorterhorizontally symmetrically toward the right and left ends from thecentral portion of the support 2. The lengths s of the other comb teeth3 are adjusted so that the tips 3 d of a plurality of comb teeth 3 arealigned approximately straight, as shown in FIG. 1( a). The lengths s ofthe comb teeth 3_2 are also adjusted so that their tips 3 d are setslightly lower than the positions of the tips of the other comb teeth 3.The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 are set shorter than the lengths ofthe comb teeth 3_1 by about 1.0 cm, and are set the same on both theright and left sides. The length k of the tip portion 3 x is about 1.8cm. The widths W of the comb teeth 3 are about 6.0 mm, and thethicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 are about 4.0 mm. The intervals L ofthe comb teeth 3 are about 1.0 mm.

Table 2 shows the results obtained from the experiment 2.

TABLE 2 Length of comb tooth 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 3_1 (cm) Necessary load(g.w.) 5,000 3,000 2,000 1,300 1,100 Evaluation on work- X X Δ Δ Δability (in 3 levels) Length of comb tooth 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 3_1(cm) Necessary load (g.w.) 850 700 500 350 300 Evaluation on work- ◯ ◯ ⊚⊚ ⊚ ability (in 3 levels) Length of comb tooth 15.0 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.03_1 (cm) Necessary load (g.w.) 250 180 150 120 110 Evaluation on work- ⊚⊚ ⊚ ◯ ◯ ability (in 3 levels) Length of comb tooth 20.0 21.0 22.0 23.024.0 3_1 (cm) Necessary load (g.w.) 100 88 75 65 50 Evaluation on work-◯ Δ Δ Δ X ability (in 3 levels)

It can be confirmed from Table 2 that when the lengths s of the combteeth 3_1 are in a range of 7.0 to 23.0 cm, a load of about 65 to about2000 g.w. is needed. It can also be confirmed that the evaluations onthe workability of the practitioner are Δ, ◯ and ⊚.

When the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are in a range of 10.0 to 20.0cm, it can be confirmed that a load of about 100 g.w. to about 850 g.w.is needed. It can also be confirmed that the evaluations of thepractitioner are ◯ and ⊚.

When the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are in a range of 12.0 to 17.0cm, it can be confirmed that a load of about 150 g.w. to about 500 g.w.is needed. It can also be confirmed that the evaluations of thepractitioner are ⊚.

It is understood from the above that under the conditions of thisexperiment, the preferable range of the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1is 7.0 to 23.0 mm.

EXAMPLE 3

When the conditions other than the radius of curvature of the member ofthe comb teeth 3 are fixed, the smaller the radius of curvature is, thegreater the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 becomes.Therefore, the practitioner can deform the comb teeth 3 greatly withlighter force. However, the time for the comb teeth 3 to revert to theinitial state by elastic deformation becomes longer. On the contrary,the greater the radius of curvature is, the smaller the maximum verticalheight h of the comb teeth 3 becomes. Therefore, the practitioner needslarger force to deform the comb teeth 3. However, the time for the combteeth 3 to revert to the initial state by elastic deformation becomesshorter.

In this respect, the inventor conducted the following experiment 3 toclarify the preferable range of the maximum vertical height h of thecomb teeth 3.

In the experiment 3, six kinds of hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1whose comb teeth 3 have different maximum vertical heights h of 0.0 to6.0 cm were prepared. Then, the work time in performing a predeterminedcutting work using the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 was checked.The practitioner was a beautician having 30 years of experience, and thecut model used was a cut wick for lesson manufactured by Fontaine(FC108N). The cut style was the square cut to cut the hair 6 of the topportion of the head by about 10 cm. A work time (minutes) of less thanone minute was rounded up.

The hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 used in the experiment wereconstituted as follows.

The lateral cross sectional shape of the intermediate portion 3 b of thecomb tooth 3 was approximately rectangular, with the width W andthickness H fixed. The narrow portion 3 c reduces its diameter in theform of a quadrangular pyramid with the tip 3 d as the vertex, and thelateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3 c is rectangular,and reduces the diameter so as to come closer to a right circle towardthe tip 3 d. The tip 3 d is rounded off to have a radius of curvature ofabout 0.90 mm. The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are set the longestto be about 15.0 cm. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are setshorter horizontally symmetrically toward the right and left ends fromthe central portion of the support 2, and the lengths s of the combteeth 3_2 on both the right and left sides are set to the same length ofabout 14.0 cm. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are adjusted sothat the tips 3 d of a plurality of comb teeth 3 are alignedapproximately straight, as shown in FIG. 1( a). The lengths s of thecomb teeth 3_2 are also adjusted so that their tips 3 d are set slightlylower than the positions of the tips of the other comb teeth 3. Thelength k of the tip portion 3 x is about 1.8 cm. The widths W of thecomb teeth 3 are about 6.0 mm, and the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3are about 4.0 mm. The intervals L of the comb teeth 3 are about 1.0 mm.In the table, the comb teeth 3 with h of 0.0 to 1.0 are made of wood,and the comb teeth 3 with h of 2.0 to 6.0 are made of an epoxy resin, sothat those comb teeth have different elastic moduli. Accordingly, themaximum vertical height h of the individual types of comb teeth 3 waschanged.

Table 3 shows the results obtained from this experiment 3.

TABLE 3 Vertical height h(cm) 0.0 0.5 1.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 Work time 20 15 105 10 15 (min)

It can be confirmed from Table 3 that when the maximum vertical height hof the comb teeth 3 is in a range of 0.5 to 6.0 cm, the work time isless than about 15 minutes. It can also be confirmed that when themaximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 is in a range of 1.0 to4.0 cm, the work time is less than about 10 minutes. It can also beconfirmed that when the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 isabout 2.0 cm, the work time is about 5 minutes and the shortest.

It is understood from the above that under conditions of thisexperiment, the preferable range of the maximum vertical height h of thecomb teeth 3 is 0.5 to 6.0 cm.

[Description of Reference Numerals]

-   1: hair-dressing and cosmetic comb-   2: support-   2 a, 2 b: support surface-   2 c: bottom surface portion-   2 d, 2 e: side surface portion-   2 f: projecting end portion-   2 g: hand-holding portion-   2 h: thin teeth portion-   2 i: handle-   3: comb teeth-   3_1: comb teeth provided in the center portion of the support-   3_2: comb teeth provided at the ends of the support-   3 a: base-   3 b: intermediate portion-   3 c: narrow portion-   3 d: tip-   3 x: tip portion-   4: gap-   5: head of subject person-   6: hair-   31: conventional comb-   32: support of the conventional comb-   33: comb teeth of the conventional comb-   34: handle of the conventional comb-   k: length of the tip portion of the comb tooth-   h: maximum vertical height of the tip of the comb tooth-   s: length from the base of the comb teeth to the tip-   L: interval of the comb teeth-   M: contact surface of the comb teeth-   P: horizontal plane-   W: width of the comb teeth-   H: thickness of the comb teeth

1. A hairdressing and cosmetic comb, comprising: a support; and aplurality of comb teeth provided on one side of the support in a rowsubstantially in parallel, the comb teeth each having lengths of 7.0 to23.0 cm from a base to a tip and each being elastically bent anddeformed to have a deformation of 1.0 cm or greater and 6.0 cm or lessin a thickness direction of the comb teeth according to a form of a headwhen the comb teeth are pressed toward the head on which the comb teethabut via a contact portion.
 2. The hairdressing and cosmetic combaccording to claim 1, wherein the comb teeth have widths of 1.0 to 12.0mm in a side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth, and thicknessesof 1.0 to 5.0 mm.
 3. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according toclaim 1, wherein a sectional shape of each of the comb teeth in theside-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth is a rectangle definedby W>H where W mm is the width in the side-by-side layout direction ofthe comb teeth and H mm is the thickness of the comb teeth.
 4. Thehairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein the widthsof the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction thereof areconstant at an intermediate portion from the base of each comb tooth tothe tip thereof.
 5. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according toclaim 1, wherein the lengths of the plurality of comb teeth from thebases to the tips are set in such a way that the length of the combtooth provided at a center portion of the support is longest, and thelengths of the other comb teeth become shorter toward rightward andleftward end portions of the support from the center portion.
 6. Thehairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein an intervalof the comb teeth is less than 0 to 3.0 mm.
 7. The hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein: the comb teeth are made ofa synthetic resin, and have widths of about 6.0 mm in the side-by-sidelayout direction thereof, and thicknesses of about 4.0 mm, and aninterval of the comb teeth is about 1.0 mm.
 8. The hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein at least one contact surfaceat which the adjoining comb teeth contact each other is formed in theinterval between the comb teeth and between the base and the tip of eachcomb tooth.
 9. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1,wherein the comb teeth are bent in the thickness direction of the combteeth.
 10. A hairdressing and cosmetic method comprising: abutting thecomb teeth of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1 ona head; and sliding the hairdressing and cosmetic comb while pressing acontact portion toward the head to put through hair of the head betweenthe comb teeth to elastically deform the comb teeth according to a formof the head, thereby combing the hair for hair-dressing and cosmeticwork.
 11. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2,wherein a sectional shape of each of the comb teeth in the side-by-sidelayout direction of the comb teeth is a rectangle defined by W>H where Wmm is the width in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teethand H mm is the thickness of the comb teeth.
 12. The hairdressing andcosmetic comb according to claim 11, wherein the widths of the combteeth in the side-by-side layout direction thereof are constant at anintermediate portion from the base of each comb tooth to the tipthereof.
 13. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2,wherein the widths of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layoutdirection thereof are constant at an intermediate portion from the baseof each comb tooth to the tip thereof.
 14. The hairdressing and cosmeticcomb according to claim 3, wherein the widths of the comb teeth in theside-by-side layout direction thereof are constant at an intermediateportion from the base of each comb tooth to the tip thereof.
 15. Thehairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein the lengthsof the plurality of comb teeth from the bases to the tips are set insuch a way that the length of the comb tooth provided at a centerportion of the support is longest, and the lengths of the other combteeth become shorter toward rightward and leftward end portions of thesupport from the center portion.
 16. The hairdressing and cosmetic combaccording to claim 2, wherein an interval of the comb teeth is less than0 to 3.0 mm.
 17. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim2, wherein: the comb teeth are made of a synthetic resin, and havewidths of about 6.0 mm in the side-by-side layout direction thereof, andthicknesses of about 4.0 mm, and an interval of the comb teeth is about1.0 mm.
 18. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2,wherein at least one contact surface at which the adjoining comb teethcontact each other is formed in the interval between the comb teeth andbetween the base and the tip of each comb tooth.
 19. The hairdressingand cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein the comb teeth are bentin the thickness direction of the comb teeth.
 20. A hairdressing andcosmetic method comprising: abutting the comb teeth of the hairdressingand cosmetic comb according to claim 2 on a head; and sliding thehairdressing and cosmetic comb while pressing a contact portion towardthe head to put through hair of the head between the comb teeth toelastically deform the comb teeth according to a form of the head,thereby combing the hair for hair-dressing and cosmetic work.